Postmortem part 3
by Nome de Plume
Summary: continuation of parts 1 and 2 (really)


Postmortem part 3  
By Nom de Plume or just Paige  
E-mail me at Paigeplume@hotmail.com (the address in the last one was wrong :P )  
  
  
  
  
  
* Once again, this takes place after "Fire!" and speculates, heavily, on what will happen in "Dye!Dye!Darling"  
  
  
  
  
Tom stood up first.  
"I could ask you the same thing." He replied, motioning at the empty bottle of dye.  
Jane began to flail her arms around, an incredulous look on her face.  
"What?! I catch you two about two kiss, you, my boyfriend, and her my best friend" she cried, pointing at them.  
" Jane, what the hell are you talking about?" Daria now spoke, but the moment she said those words, she a shot of remorse exploded into her gut.  
  
"No reason to play dumb" Those words echoed through her, Trent's voice haunting her.  
  
But Jane continued  
"I'm talking about the fact that for the last couple of weeks, you guys have been flirting with each other and now I find you two, in my own home, in my own kitchen, about to kiss!" Her voice cried.  
  
"Whoa, what's going on here?" Trent's voice trailed into the kitchen from the front door.   
Walking in, he put down his guitar case. His relaxed swagger substituted by quick and forceful step. His eyes narrowed as he summed up the scene, he immediately sensed things had finally boiled over. Standing between Jane and Daria and Tom. His eyes rested on Daria's for a moment but he turned away once Daria looked away.  
  
"Trent, I caught them about to kiss!" Jane cried into his face.  
"That's not true Jane" Daria's voice broke in.  
Trent spoke up and suggested they all go into the living room.  
"Hell no Trent!"  
Taking his sister by her arms, he looked into her eyes and pleaded in a whisper for her to do so.  
She agreed her voice hoarse. The four of them stood around in the living room. Trent broke the silence first. He fumbled with words for a while.  
"Honesty is the key to a-shit, what the hell am I saying?" A cold shiver ran through his spine, he was becoming his father. He shook it off.  
"Anyway, um, first, Jane, tell them what you saw." Motioning to Tom and Daria, who stood far apart.  
"I saw the about to kiss" she pointed, accusingly.  
"Jane, that is not so, we-" for the first time, Daria did not know what to say.  
Trent walked over to Daria; he reached for her hands and held them. Looking down at her, his eyes pleaded she'd say the truth and punctuated it by squeezing her hands. Drawing her breath in she looked over at Jane.  
"I don't know what the hell is going on but I do admit that there's..."her voice trailed off into complete silence.  
"Go on Daria" Trent whispered  
"Yes" They all turned to look at Tom who was looking out a window.  
"Yes, I was about to kiss her" he said, turning toward them.  
Jane's arms, which had been crossed over her chest, now slumped down to her sides. A look of complete defeats swallowing her.  
"I'm intrigued by her, but I never meant to-"  
"What?! Betray me? Cheat on me with her?"  
"No!" Daria's voice cut through the room  
"He never cheated on you with me because that would mean I'd betray you but I'm your best friend!" A color wheel of emotions colored her voice.  
"Yet, I guess your definition of a friend is much different than mine." She said quietly, feeling her bottom lip shake.  
"Daria, don't you dare tell me that you're innocent!" Jane glared in Daria's direction and added, "Fine, maybe you didn't actively pursue him but knowing that he liked you," She pointed her index finger at her  
"You did nothing to discourage him!"  
"Excuse me?" Daria's voice had now become monotone. Her arms crossing over her chest.  
"And another thing, you kept being an ass about my relationship with Tom and you know what? It was because you were jealous."  
"Really? Of what?" Daria said in a defying tone, her features expressing bemusement.  
"Jealous because the guy you've been pathetically pinning away for never ever made a move on you."  
Trent's countenance became flustered.  
"Hey Janey lay off" pleaded Trent weakly.  
"Shut up Trent" she cried out and continued, " You are partly to blame as well you know," motioning at Trent, "if you had only said one word to her, she wouldn't be lusting after my boyfriend!"  
Daria's eyes narrowed. She felt anger spread up her body.  
"Go to hell Jane." She breathed in deeply.  
" What about you Jane?"  
"What about me?" Jane's brows arched at a dangerously sharp angle. Daria had a mouthful of things to say, but she swallowed them whole. Closing her eyes and breathing out, ""I'm going now."  
"About time." Jane spat out.  
Daria walked out, never once looking at Trent or Tom or Jane, just at the door.  
Tom stood by the window, his hands wrapped around his neck, his head hung low. Jane looked at him, her voice harsh and sharp, " Aren't you going after her?"  
"No. I'm going home."  
Tom then walked out as well.  
"I'm going after her."  
"About time Trent." Her voice dry.  
  
Outside, Trent got into his car and drove in the direction of Daria's home. About a few blocks from his home, he spotted Daria. He called out her name but she just waved him away, refusing to show her face to him. Trent parked by the curb and got out of his car anyway. Quickly, Daria dried the tears off her face with the back of her sleeve. Trent placed his hand on her shoulder and told her to come to come with him. Getting in, Daria felt, for the first time, shame. Terrible shame. What Jane had said held some truth. The feeling of shame became worse when she realized it came from being vain. Running her hands through her face, she just wanted the night to be over. She wanted life to be over with. Trent reached for her hand as he drove and asked if she was okay. She simply nodded. Letting go off her hand, Trent drove on. The streets that they passed were as empty as they were and moonbeams made the night pale. When they finally reached Daria's home, Trent reached out for her and whispered into her ear that it would be all right. She thanked him quietly, but it still sounded hollow. She walked into her home, the mirthful laughter of the fashion club haunting her as she made her way up to her room. Locking her door, she slumped down against it. She just wished to feel nothing but somehow, pain and anger tyrannized her whole being. They were the last feelings she felt as she closed her eyes and felt unto a heavy, dreamless sleep.  
  
Daria woke up late Saturday morning, curled up in the floor . Ever single bone in her body ached but it didn't compare to the hurt she felt inside her. For the first few seconds of blissful numbness, she heard nothing, saw nothing, remembered nothing, and felt nothing. Then she woke up. Getting up, she didn't know who to blame. Anger towards anybody or anything wasn't in her yet. She did feel horrible heartache. Despondent, she opened her window. Starving, she breathed in deeply the warm summer air and she saw a white hot shot of lightning lacerate the muted gray sky. It soon began to rain and she felt nibble at her hands. The drizzled grazed Lawndale and Daria found that comforting.   
  
Lying down on her bed, she forced herself to face what had happened. She found everything to be veiled be a heavy haze, pierced by silver beams of truth. Truth: Jane had hurt her terribly. Truth: she did feel something for Tom, though it was still a mystery as to what exactly that was. Yes, she couldn't fully grasp when she had begun to feel affection for him. He was someone she could talk to. He challenged her, intellectually. He was someone she never thought existed, much less meet. Jane. She had in many ways saved her. She had become a pillar of strength and sanity, but always reminding her not to take things and herself too seriously. Much like Tom did. She had always thought that the idea that a man and woman couldn't be just friends was absurd. After all, she had had male friends before. Yet the more time she spent with Tom, who she had by no means looked at with the eyes she had seen Trent, the more she began to wonder. Trent. Trent, poor man, she thought and as down as she felt, she couldn't help but smile. All that time, harboring that crush for him, yet as she lay there, she couldn't for her life, find her old feelings for him. Perhaps it was hiding out inside her. Lately, only a sense of nostalgia touched her when she thought of him. God knows she had been trying to resurrect that crush for him lately. Yet, all she found was its shadow. Then, she once more thought of Jane. She knew she had out of jealousy, that it wasn't really her that had said all those things that evening. However, her idea of her friendship with Jane would forever be marred, if there were still a friendship at all to feel that way about. Or if there had ever been a friendship for that matter. She erased the last thought from her mind, she knew it wasn't true.  
  
Daria now looked over at Tom, he just stared at the sidewalk as they walked and wondered if he ever needed to talk to her in the first place.  
  
  
There was a knock at the door. She didn't say anything. Another knock followed.  
"Daria?" Tom's voice broke through. She sat up and drew a small breath in, but before she could say anything, Tom walked in.   
"Tom?"  
His contemplative face looked at her with grim eyes. He asked her to come with him. She didn't ask any questions, just followed him. Hesitantly, she got into his car.   
They drove up to the Lawndale library.  
They walked in and sat down on the floor at the back of the library.  
"I'm sorry Daria" he waited for her to say something but his remark was only followed by silence.  
"I have no idea what I was thinking," he said quietly, his  
Head tilted up and staring at the ceiling. Her eyes narrowed; realizing what his last remark had implied, he looked back sown. His face was blushing and he laughed nervously as he massaged the nape of his neck with his right hand.  
"You know I didn't mean it that way."  
His eyes shyly looked for her own. Crossing her arms, and inside enjoying torturing Tom this way, she asked him what he did mean.  
" I meant I didn't know what I was thinking when I thought I'd escape my troubles by running to you. I can't believe I acted that way when things with Jane began to deteriorate. "  
He fell silent.  
"But that isn't the whole truth." He said quietly, concentrating on his shoelaces. He kneaded his thoughts over and spoke again.  
"The more time I spent with Jane, the more I began to see that perhaps my relationship with her just wasn't meant to be."  
Daria looked over at him, her eyes encouraging him to go on. Tom glanced at her before speaking again.  
"And I found comfort in you and you became increasingly attractive in my eyes."  
Daria waited to speak, letting his words sink into the air and into her. And even then, she spoke slowly.  
"What exactly do you feel for me?", not so much asking, but prompting Tom to say more, make him think deeper.   
"I don't know, exactly."  
"What do you know then?"  
" I find you attractive."  
Inside her, there was relief that it was just that, but also sadness because it really was only that. She was about to speak again, when Tom broke the silence once more, " I also know that I think about you, about our talks," he let a short moment pass before adding, "constantly."  
Daria felt a dagger pierces her gut.  
" I know that I think of you warmly and that I find myself wishing I could talk with you late at night."  
"Oh." Her shoulders slumped; they could be in trouble right now.  
" But I also realize what the circumstances are." He said, with great effort.  
She felt a pang go through the feeling of relief she felt.  
"That's why I want you to be my friend at least," he said quietly, staring into her eyes.  
"I'd like that."  
  
  
  
Tom and Daria had been walked for so long that they were now in front of were her mother worked. Realizing how far they had walked, they both agreed to take the bus back to the Pizza King. They both knew that they hadn't talked at all, but it didn't matter; they had never needed to speak to each other anyway. Sitting together inside the bus, Tom looked out the window. The whole town looked as if a blue veil had covered it. Everything looked so serene.  
  
  
  
  
Author speaks:  
  
* Ouch, sorry kids, but that's all for now-'cos I absolutely hate typing! I'm speculating that the whole series will be done for your viewing reading by late Sunday night. I already have another story ready for your viewing pleasure and TADA, it's short! It's a bit 'shipperish...okay, it's extremely 'shipperish. But to tell you the truth, I could care less who Daria did or didn't end up with. I'm just writing to explore different situations.   
* I would like to thank all the Daria fans in numerous message board (especially the Paper Pusher's message board) for being so intelligent and insightful.   
* Thanks to all of those who reviewed my stories, truly, knowing that someone appreciated my work pushed me to go on, but god, I really hate typing.  
  
  
Once again, MTV owns Daria, in fact, for all I know, they own me. I own nothing except a remarkably twisted collection of teddy bears. I'm just a fan.  
  
  
  
  
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